It’s not every day that you accidently stumble upon a refugee centre. However, that is exactly what I did in Msida, Malta after getting lost whilst looking for a barbers shop. As I walked up the ramp to approach the men who were applying and reapplying for official papers, I was struck by their willingness to share their stories, regardless of how painful they were. So, with relative ease I was able to talk to men of various ages about their experience in Malta, how they have dealt with prejudice, Malta’s immigration policy and segregation. I was also able to interview a young Maltese woman and a female immigrant from Libya, asking them similar questions on these topics.
“You can’t see racism upfront. It is always hidden.” – 26 Year Old Syrian Refugee
Everyone that I interviewed seemed to have arrived at the same consensus, that even though racism is not overtly apparent in Malta, there is definitely a sense of segregation between the Maltese people and those that seek refuge on the island. When listening to Dr Stefan Buontempo, the Minister of Youth and Sport in Malta speak at a group session at our Creating Change 2013 conference, a possible reasoning for this was pushed to the forefront. Immigrants, he said, “become like prisoners” in Malta as it takes two years for them to apply for refugee status. In these two years, they have no choice but to be unemployed and as such they cannot make money for themselves. Yet, they cannot go back to where they came from either. This results in poverty, meaning that they are unable to go through ‘regular’ channels to socialise with others.
Within the same breath however, he revealed that it is not only poverty that segregates the Maltese people from immigrants and refugees. This segregation is also due to the fact that immigrants are treated as though they are criminals from the moment that they arrive, and this stigma doesn’t seem to disappear with time. Michel Foucault, in his essay Panopticism suggests that this is because authorities “function according to a double mode; that of binary division and branding”. Thus, when immigrants arrive in Malta and are detained, they are instantly branded as criminals, whereas the Maltese people, simply by being Maltese are not. Psychologically therefore, there is already a separation between immigrant’s and Maltese people before they even attempt to integrate into the society.
Despite this, although it may be difficult for immigrants and refugees to integrate into Maltese society and feel like real citizens, it is possible for most to build their lives anew in Malta. For the 26-year-old Syrian refugee, this meant making an effort to approach the Maltese people and build relationships with them, learning the language through sending and receiving text messages. For the Libyan lady however, she was happy keeping to herself, and although she said that the Maltese people were very nice, admitted that she was not in touch with them. A thought that was also echoed in the thoughts of the 26 year old Maltese lady that we interviewed.
This topic is so big and it is not only racism that needs to be considered, but politics and family life too. Everyone has the right to live in a place where they have shelter, food and the basic needs of human life taken care of without worry, regardless of who they are or where they live. Everyone also has the right to environmental stability, good governance and security, however these things are not yet available in all countries, which if taken to the extreme leads to war, extreme poverty, inequality and a fear of persecution. Thus, I would argue that it is more complicated than Maltese people fearing, or having prejudiced against immigrants and refugees. It is instead a situation that has been concentrated on a small island, and is endemic of a larger global problem.
